#customer-trust

#customer-trust

"I ordered raspberries. They send me cauliflowers." That's how a Californian shopper described their online grocery experience buying groceries from Walmart using the Instacart app. Our fieldwork has revealed similar mishaps. These mismatched substitutions have become a symbol of a deeper problem-one that quietly erodes profitability, damages customer trust, and impedes the growth of online ordering in retail.

It's no wonder personalization programs so often fall short of expectations - they're focused on stats, not mindset. Consider this: even within the same demographic group, nearly 90% of people disagree with one another. Demographics tell us who a customer is, but behavior reveals why they act the way they do - and that's what drives trust and loyalty. Here's a slightly controversial take: I don't believe in personas. They work for storytelling and empathy building, but for personalization, they're too limiting.

Cybercriminals aren't just breaking into systems anymore; increasingly, they're breaking into identities. By impersonating trusted companies through look-alike domains, fake apps or cloned websites, attackers turn logos, tone and messaging into tools of deception. For communications and marketing leaders, this is a reputational flash fire that spreads faster than your crisis comms team can respond. And with generative AI making fake campaigns nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, brand impersonation has become one of the most under-recognized business risks today.

User-friendly design in eCommerce is crucial as it builds credibility and invites users to relax, leading to trust and loyalty.

Thousands of small business owners accuse Santander of breaking its promise of free banking for life, now introducing a £9.99 monthly charge for existing business accounts.

According to industry estimates, around 2% of small businesses with Google profiles face suspension every month. That translates to approximately 100,000 businesses hit by suspension every month.

Referral marketing is effective because 86% of users trust recommendations over ads, making it crucial for businesses to cultivate relationships with clients who will refer them.

The digital realm offers unprecedented opportunities but also unique challenges. Consumers are increasingly aware of data privacy, identity theft risks, and the need for secure online interactions. High-profile data breaches and sophisticated scams have made many cautious.